document.write( "Question 776513: Law of the Lever;
\n" ); document.write( "For a system to balance, the product of the weight and its distance from the fulcrum must be the same on each side; that is, (W1*X1)=(W2*X2). This equation is called the law of the lever. \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "A woman and her son are playing on a seesaw. The boy is at one end, 8 feet from the fulcrum. If the son weighs 100 lb and the mother weighs 125 lb, where should the woman sit so that the seesaw is balanced? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #473640 by KMST(5328) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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$\"W%5B1%5D%2AX%5B1%5D=W%5B2%5D%2AX%5B2%5D\"$
\n" ); document.write( "Let's make the son number 1 (and his mother number 2).
\n" ); document.write( " $\"W%5B1%5D=100\"$ $\"lb\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"X%5B1%5D=8\"$ $\"feet\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"W%5B2%5D=125\"$ $\"lb\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"X%5B2%5D\"$ = distance from the fulcrum to the mother
\n" ); document.write( " $\"100%2A8=125%2AX%5B2%5D\"$ --> $\"100%2A8%2F125=X%5B2%5D\"$ --> $\"X%5B2%5D=32%2F5\"$
\n" ); document.write( "We can also express that as
\n" ); document.write( " $\"X%5B2%5D=6.4\"$ or $\"X%5B2%5D=6%262%2F5\"$
\n" ); document.write( "Or we can say that the mother should sit at 6 feet 5 inches from the fulcrum
\n" ); document.write( " $\"6%262%2F5\"$ $\"feet=6feet\"$ $\"%282%2F5%29%2A12inches\"$ , but $\"%282%2F5%29%2A12=4.8=about5\"$ , and nobody measures fractions of an inch when playing on a seesaw. \n" ); document.write( "

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